New container cranes that will allow the Jacksonville Port Authority to serve wider vessels are being assembled at the port’s Blount Island Marine Terminal.
JaxPort announced in a June 23 release that the two 50-gauge ship-to-shore cranes arrived in large components and are being put together at the terminal. The equipment is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
A third crane is being built in Ireland by Germany-based Liebherr Crane Co., which also manufactured the components for the two that have been shipped to Blount Island. The third crane is expected to be operational in early 2026 at the port’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal.
The cranes each can reach up to 19 containers across a ship’s deck and can carry up to 65 long tons. The equipment operates on regenerative power systems that consume energy during container lifts and generate electricity when lowering them, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing emissions.
The state of Florida provided $53 million in funding to JaxPort over the past two years for crane purchases and upgrades. The port plans more than $40 million in additional crane upgrades over the next five years.
“The state’s continued investment in world-class transportation infrastructure allows more cargo to move through Jacksonville, supporting jobs and economic growth for our region and the state,” JaxPort CEO Eric Green said in the release.